With a loss that, according to Chris Snizek '05, "could prove to be the most important of the year as we head towards the playoffs," the Big Green fell out of fourth place in the ECACHL and, more importantly, lost control over its own destiny.
The 6-2 collapse against Princeton (7-18-2, 5-14-1) forces Dartmouth to scoreboard-watch in the final weekend of the regular season and hope for a sweep of Brown and Harvard, as well as a Vermont loss. Luckily, the Big Green was able to keep itself in contention by defeating Yale the following evening, 5-3.
Dartmouth (15-10-2, 11-8 ECACHL) entered Baker Rink fixed on revenge. The Big Green was shutout by Princeton three months earlier, prohibiting Dartmouth fans from continuing the tradition of throwing tennis balls onto the ice.
For the third consecutive game, the opposition struck first, and for the third consecutive game, Dartmouth answered quickly. Three minutes after Keith Shattenkirk gave Princeton a 1-0 lead, Mike Ouellette '06 took the puck the length of the ice for a shorthanded equalizer.
The game remained tied for two minutes before Princeton climbed back on top. Shattenkirk tallied his second goal of the frame with a backhanded slapper over Dartmouth sophomore goalie Sean Samuel's pads. A period later, Princeton cemented its lead, as sophomore forward Darrol Powe knocked a floating puck back into the Big Green net, putting the Tigers up 3-1.
Princeton profited from a deflated Dartmouth squad, knocking home three goals in the first twelve minutes of the final frame. After the Green fell behind 4-1, Coach Bob Gaudet tried to clot the bleeding by relieving Samuel with Dan Yacey '05. Yacey was no more successful against the surging Princeton attack, allowing two goals on six shots.
"Princeton outskated us and outworked us for most of the game, and we were not able to recover after having a shaky start," said Snizek.
Coupled with a Vermont victory over Yale, the loss pushed the Big Green out of the fourth and final spot for a first-round bye in the upcoming ECACHL postseason.
The next night, Dartmouth came out like a team on a mission. Led by the Snizek, Jon Grecu '08, Dan Shribman '07 line, the Big Green rediscovered its form, beating Yale 5-3.
Dartmouth had jumped out to a 2-0 lead five minutes into the game, but Yale was able to cut the Big Green advantage in half, as Bulldog sophomore Robert Burns found himself all alone, one-on-one with Yacey. Burns' third goal of the year made the score 2-1.
Nick Johnson '08 potted his team-leading 13th goal of the season with 6:14 left in the first stanza, putting Dartmouth up by two again. Then it was Snizek's turn to take over. The Big Green senior continued his career night, scoring Dartmouth's next two goals. His first score closed out the opening period, with the Big Green up 4-1.
After Snizek added another goal two minutes into the second period, the Bulldogs made things interesting, scoring twice in the last six minutes of the frame, making it a 5-3 game. But the Dartmouth defense proved too much for Yale, as both teams went scoreless in the third period and Dartmouth cruised to victory.
"Coming back strong against Yale on Saturday night was huge for our team. It shows how resilient we are," said Snizek. "The line I was playing on with Shribman and Grecu was fortunate enough to get some great bounces and capitalize on our opportunities. It's a great confidence boost for both our team and our line when we pick up a few goals in a big game."
Dartmouth closes out the regular season next weekend at home, as both Brown and Harvard visit Thompson Arena. The Big Green will look to avenge a last minute loss to Harvard two weekends ago when it takes the ice against the 10th-ranked team in the nation on Friday night.
